May 10 (Island) Securities & Exchange Commission of SL (SEC) has approved a list of Accredited Shariah Scholars as Supplementary Service Providers. These scholars are authorized to certify the Shariah compliance of Islamic Capital Market Products intended for listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in accordance with the Listing Rules. SEC considers this as an essential step in view of products that require Shariah compatibility and to satisfy the needs of Islamic investors. more..

May 10 (TM) JVP-led NPP of the Parliamentary Opposition claimed that the remarks made by its Executive Committee member, former MP K.D. Lalkantha, at the recent May Day rally, which led to controversy, have been misinterpreted by certain parties, including Opposition politicians. NPP Executive Committee member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa claimed that the speech made by Lalkantha has been more..

May 10 (DM) Coral reefs in the sea around Sri Lanka risk die-offs if the current marine heat level persists for another one month or so, a top scientist said yesterday. Indian media reported that an alarming situation of severe coral bleaching had been reported in the Lakshadweep Sea and the Gulf of Mannar. Asked for a comment in this regard, newly appointed Director General of NARA Dr. K.Arulananthan said heat level had increased to 31 degrees Celsius and remained for two weeks. more..

May 10 (AD) Two Italian nationals who had allegedly attempted to smuggle hundreds of endemic insects and plants collected from the Yala National Park to a foreign country, have been arrested in the Katagamuwa area. The officers of the Wildlife Conservation Office in Katagamuwa have apprehended the suspects on Wednesday. The wildlife officers stated that they seized a large number of jars in which the suspects had collected around 285 insects including butterflies more..

May 10 (ST) Senior govt and judicial officials who have retired on completion of 60 years of age and those who were sent on compulsory retirement without extension are eligible to obtain a vehicle import permit under concessionary rates of duty. This was according to a circular issued by Public Admin, Home Affairs, PCs and LG Ministry. Officers who have retired on completion of 60 years of age during the period from extending the age of compulsory retirement to 65 years more..

May 10 (DM) Speculation is rife in political circles that the Election Commission announced the plan for the conduct of the presidential election interpreting the Constitution in a bid to suppress any internal political discourse for a possible snap general election, Daily Mirror learns. There are talks that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe might consider a general election ahead of the prez election in case the govt fails to secure the next tranche of the IMF Extended Fund Facility. more..

May 10 (FT) Embattled former State Minister Diana Gamage yesterday expressed her refusal to accept the recent Supreme Court ruling that disqualified her from Parliament, due to the political conspiracy behind it. Addressing the media for the first time following the ruling, Gamage levelled accusations against SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, and several others, alleging they had more..

May 10 (DM) Japanese Ambassador to SL Mizukoshi Hideaki, Ambassador to Switzerland Siri Walt and South African High Commissioner to SL Sandile Schalk met NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The meeting took place at the JVP head office where the First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy Murata Shinichi, Second Secretary of the South African High Commission Zanethemba Tshangela and the First Secretary of the Switzerland Embassy Justine Boillat more..

May 10 (CT) State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya disclosed that during the first four months of this year, Excise Dept issued a total of 37 new liquor permits (FL4). Out of these, 16 were allocated to supermarkets, he said. Liquor consumption in the country had decreased by 19% in 2023 compared to 2022. Minister revealed that in 2023, 214 liquor permits were issued, with 147 allocated to the tourism sector. On the population ratio, an additional 474 liquor permits could be issued. more..

May 10 (DM) In the wake of the Election Commission officially announcing that the Prez election will be held between Sept 17 and Oct 16, a faction of both govt and opposition MPs have expressed concerns as they prefer a parliamentary election first. This follows the remarks by the founder of SLPP Basil Rajapaksa who reiterated that his party maintains its stance that the general election should take place before the prez election. more..

May 10 (FT) Political catch phrases like Dharmishta Samajaya, Yahapalanaya have won elections. People voted for these and the leader’s rhetoric as they either felt genuinely that they lived in a society that was not just, or in an ayahapath palanaya, an unjust governance environment or they were conditioned to think as such with smartly managed political rhetoric. In either case, it’s the people who voted in leaders and govts to office and in either case, it’s the people who voted more..

May 10 (FT) In the lead up to SL’s Prez election in October 2024, there have been numerous visits by foreign governments to create a good rapport with the various candidates. Visits by great powers to Sri Lanka appear to be a tradition before a national election or during global calamities. My analyses over the years indicate an increase in the frequency of interactions and their breadth during the visits. In order to ascertain this tug-of-war, this article is divided into three sections: more..

May 10 (DM) The SLPP is ready for the Prez eletion but they are yet to find a candidate for the presidency, SLPP founder Basil Rajapaksa said today. He told reporters after opening its election office that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will declare his stance on the elction by June 18 and said it will be even earlier after the conclusion of the Indian election. When asked whether the SLPP would support Prez Wickremesinghe, he said the party would decide whether to support him or not. more..

May 10 (DM) The expulsion petition filed by former State Minister Diana Gamage challenging the SJB's decision to expel her from party membership was today fixed for May 28 by the Supreme Court. Diana Gamage’s stance regarding this petition is to be informed to the court on the next date. Accordingly, the Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising Justices Gamini Amarasekara, Kumuduni Wickremasinghe and Mahinda Samayawardena fixed the matter for May 28. more..

May 10 (AD) Mujibur Rahman of the SJB took path as a MP before the Speaker, to fill the parliamentary seat vacated by the disqualification of former State Minister Diana Gamage. The swearing-in took place after the Parliamentary session convened at 9.30 a.m. this morning. SJB had decided to nominate former Member of Mujibur Rahman to fill the National List MP position left vacant by the disqualification of more..

May 10 (EN) The leadership of SJB are still members of the UNP, according to former chairman of the now-defunct Ape Jathika Peramuna (AJP) Senaka de Silva. de Silva, who is the spouse of former MP Diana Gamage, said that according to the party constitution members cannot hold membership of two parties at once. “We’re talking to our lawyers about next steps. Neither I or Diana Gamage sold a party. We gave him this party for the country. I gave the party to Sajith Premadasa and more..

May 10 (DM) Innocent people including school children are arrested under the Yukthiya Operation for minor offences in some police stations and they are unreasonably charged under Act 54 of the Criminal Procedure, several govt MPs charged today. SLPP MP Samanpriya Herath told Parliament that people have faced serious issues in the Kurunegala district as youth who are languishing in junctions & roads are also taken to police stations; charged under Act 54 of Criminal Procedure. more..

May 10 (AD) SL military veterans, who had illegally joined Russian mercenaries and subsequently escaped from such groups in the conflict zones to returned to the island, claim that around 1,000 Sri Lankans are currently fighting in the Ukraine –Russia warfront. However, the CID pointed out that the relevant figures cannot be confirmed, since the investigations are still underway regarding the identities of these individuals. more..

May 10 (AD) U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, is scheduled to visit SL this week, as part of his broader tour of the region from May 10th to 15th, which includes India and Bangladesh. “His trip will strengthen bilateral cooperation with each country and demonstrate U.S. support for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” US State Dept said. In Chennai, Assistant Secretary Lu will meet with Consulate personnel to bolster more..

May 10 (TM) As the Olympic flame arrives in France from Greece, anticipation builds for the torch relay involving 10,000 individuals, ranging from ordinary citizens to VIPs. Among them is Tharshan Selvarajah, a Paris-based baker originally from SL. Since he arrived in 2006, Tharshan's journey has seen him transition from a cook to working in a bakery, and now running his establishment. Renowned for his exceptional baguettes, which earned him the prestigious title of more..

May 10 (AD) Police have arrested a suspect, who was in possession of a stock of heroin in the Batalanda area of Walpola, Ragama. The apprehension was made during the inspection of a car at a police checkpoint following a tip-off received by Ragama Police. During the operation, police have seized 102 grams and 940 milligrams of heroin found inside the car in which the 45-year-old suspect was travelling. Police said the arrested suspect was identified to be an individual known by more..

May 10 (TM) Dept of Police and the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) have teamed up to launch the Suwasara Kedella, a programme they claim to be the largest drug addiction rehabilitation initiative ever undertaken, which aims to rehabilitate 12,800 drug addicts simultaneously. Speaking during the programme to launch the first few rehabilitation centres under the programme, IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon said that there are only 30 rehabilitation centres more..

May 10 (EN) SL govt is waiting for clearance from Public Security Ministry to go ahead with a dragged India-funded Unique ID card project, State Minister Kanaka Herath said. The key stakeholders including Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will meet on Friday to discuss (10) the latest on the project, he said. The project has faced delay while President Wickremesinghe’s govet has disqualified the two Indian bidders Madras Security more..

May 10 (DM) Kaspersky shared that in 2023, its products detected 15 million local incidents on the computers of Kaspersky Security Network participants in Sri Lanka. Overall, nearly 46% of users in Sri Lanka were targeted by local threats during this period. Additionally, 9.3 million different Internet-borne cyberthreats have been detected on the computers of KSN participants in Sri Lanka. Overall, 39.5% of users were targeted by web-borne threats during this period. more..

May 10 (DM) Two floating solar pilot projects were implemented on Chandrika Wewa in Embilipitiya and Kiriibban Wewa in Sewanagala and will be completed by July 2024, the Power and Energy Ministry said. They said the project was implemented with the partnership of the Sustainable Energy Authority and with financial and technical assistance of the Republic of Korea. The two projects of 01 MW each on Chandrika Wewa in Embilipitiya and Kiriibban Wewa in Sewanagala were more..

May 10 (EN) Central bank is in discussions with the telecom regulator to tighten the re-issue of mobile subscriber identification modules (SIMs) as part of efforts to stop mobile phone banking fraud, Director of Payments and Settlements K V K Alwis. Central bank together with banks are tightening security on an ongoing basis as hackers and other fraudsters develop new ways to defraud customers. more..

May 10 (AD) Commissioner General of Examinations, Amith Jayasundara, says that a complaint will be lodged with the CID today concerning irregularities detected during the ongoing GCE O/L exam. These irregularities have been reported at two exam centers in Colombo and one in the Hasalaka area. It has come to light that certain candidates had attempted to obtain answers by discreetly capturing photographs of the English question paper using mobile phones and more..

May 10 (AD) Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara says that although a few incidents of irregularities were reported during the ongoing 2023 G.C.E. O/L exam, no question paper leak has taken place. Exams chief pointed out that the confidentiality of a question paper is considered to be within the first half hour after the commencement of the examination. He further assured that there are no reports of any circulation of the question papers before the exam, more..

May 10 (EN) Sri Lanka is in talks with Canada-based entrepreneurs of Sri Lanka origin to build a 500 million dollar industrial park in Kankesanthurai in the Jaffna peninsula, State Minister for Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama said. The industrial park will be built on 700 acres by a defunct state-run cement factory. The investors will invest 500 million dollars to build infrastructure in the land given by the Board of Investment under a private public partnership model. more..

May 10 (DM) SLC has decided to enhance player welfare and incentivizing performance by announcing substantial increases in player fees across all formats, effective immediately. The decision, aimed at recognizing the efforts and dedication of SL's int'l cricketers, will see 41 players being offered new contracts under six categories: A1, A2, B2, C1, C2, and the 'A' Team. One of the most notable changes comes in the Test format, where match fees have been doubled, more..

May 10 (TM) A group of Tamil political parties has appointed a committee to decide on a common Tamil candidate for the upcoming Prez Election, according to the TMTK Leader and Opposition MP, C.V. Wigneswaran. It was recently reported that Tamil political parties are going to field a common Presidential candidate, and that they are engaging in discussions on the matter. When queried regarding developments of the programme, more..

May 10 (DM) The CID conducting investigations into the controversial revelation made by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena regarding the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, informed court that his two statements given to the CID and evidence gathered from CCTV footage contradict each other. Counsel Rajitha Lakmal, appearing for MP Kavinda Jayawardena, moved the court to issue an order for the former Prez's arrest if he has provided false statements by concealing the truth. Considering the facts, more..

May 10 (EN) SL has already started to build the capacity of Navy in handling foreign research vessels during a one-year moratorium, Foreign Ministry Ali Sabry said. Govt has temporarily halted foreign research ships after strong security concerns raised by neighbour India and the US following the visit of two Chinese research vessels in 14 months. Sabry said SL has banned foreign ships for research purpose though they have use the island nation’s ports for replenishments and crew changes. more..

May 10 (TM) Following the allegations levelled by Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara regarding the Govt’s move to divest the jet fuel supply, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) defended the move, claiming that it would modernise and make the industry more competitive. MP Jayasekara, speaking in the Parliament on Wednesday (8), alleged that the CPC has granted permits to two Companies more..

May 10 (DM) Pasindu Jayaweera, a Sri Lankan in Germany won the incredible Tesla Cybertruck as the grand prize after becoming the winner of the WSO2CodeChallenge held in Hollywood. The WSO2CodeChallenge was held from May 7 - 9 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. WSO2's cloud-native software as a service (SaaS) offerings and open-source software are instrumental in the digital transformation journeys of numerous organizations, more..

May 10 (DM) Sri Lanka is facing mounting pressure to maintain its current reform momentum, as experts continue to warn that any deviation from the path could potentially derail the country's progress and plunge it back into crisis. Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe yesterday reiterated this imperative, echoing similar calls from global agencies such as WB, ADB, and IMF. Just a month ago, these institutions stressed the absolute need for Sri Lanka to stay the course, more..